There is zero reason to believe that the coalition could hold if any changes were made to the bill at this point. (Or to be more direct, there is zero reason to believe any amendment that would strengthen the bill would pass in the first place.)

Berating the Big Green groups for being strategic realists is not a useful internal debate to have. Their political calculations are not why the bill required multiple compromises.

The missing ingredient throughout this process has always been grassroots intensity, which has been depressed thanks to the fractured environmental community and lack of attention from both traditional media and progressive media.

Don’t sit on your hands and let Waxman and Speaker Pelosi drag the bill over the finish line with a whimper. Let Congress know that voters are watching this vote, and will reward congresspeople who had the vision to combat global warming.

From a political perspective, the details of the compromise don’t matter right now. It’s simply a global warming bill. And congresspeople are listening to find out if their constituents want a global warming bill, don’t want a global warming bill, or don’t care one way or another.